CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Crimson returns to action this week with a pair of Hockey East matchups bookending the Thanksgiving holiday. On Wednesday, Harvard will welcome the Eagles of Boston College for a 7 p.m. puck drop set to air on ESPN3. Following the feast, Harvard will faceoff against New Hampshire at Bright-Landry Hockey Center on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN.

Quick Hits Wednesday's tilt marks the first time this season Harvard will take on a ranked opponent. Last season, the Crimson faced off against ranked opponents 12 times, ending the game in a tie on four occasions. The last time the Crimson defeated a ranked opponent was Feb. 27, 2016 versus No. 9/9 Colgate with a 4-1 decision.

Harvard is one of two teams to have a pair of players rank in the top 10 of the NCAA in points per game among rookies. Becca Gilmore and Brooke Jovanovich rank fourth and sixth averaging 1.29 and 1.14 points per game respectively. Boston College has the other two, with Daryl Watts leading the nation with 2.69 points per game and Willow Corson sliding in at tenth averaging one point per outing.

In 57 all-time meetings with Boston College, Harvard has outscored the Eagles 298-116 and has held them off the scoresheet entirely 15 times.

In Coach Stone's first 10 years at the helm, Harvard lost to the Eagles just once in 21 contests.

Assistant coach Lee-J Mirasolo was a four-year letterwinner at Boston College from 2004-08. She wore No. 25 and played in 138 games, totaling six goals and three assists for nine points in the Eagles jersey.

Shoot The Puck Harvard continues to get pucks to the net far more often than its opponents. Prior to the game against Boston College, the Crimson is outshooting opponents 87-46 (+41) in the first period, cooling down for a 84-70 (+14) advantage in the second and rallying for an 80-47 (+33) margin in the final period. Harvard averages 35.9 shots a game while holding opponents to 23.6.

The same holds true with goals. Harvard has scored five goals in the first to its opponents' three, has matched competitors in the second with seven tallies and has more than doubled its opponents in the third, raking in 12 goals to opponents' five.

Connections with Chestnut Hill Harvard assistant coach Lee-J Mirasolo played ice hockey for the Boston College Eagles from 2004-08. She donned No. 25 and played in all but one game during her tenure in Chestnut Hill, totaling 138 games played. She tallied six goals and three assists for nine points in the Maroon and Gold jersey. Mirasolo earned the captain's "C" during her senior season after helping lead her squad to two Beanpot titles and a Frozen Four appearance.

Ranked Opponents The tilt with Boston College marks the first ranked opponent that Harvard will play during the 2017-18 season. As of Nov. 22, the Crimson have the potential to play at least nine additional games against ranked programs.

Hockey East Rivalry This weekend, Harvard will continue the rivalry between the ECAC and Hockey East. Widely regarded as two of the top conferences in the nation, both the ECAC and Hockey East annually produce some of the best talent at the national level. Due to Hockey East's Boston-centric spread, Harvard has been able to take advantage of high level competition close to home, including the opportunity to face Boston University, Boston College and Northeastern in the annual Beanpot Tournament.

The Crimson is 157-117-13 (.570) all-time against current Hockey East teams, and is 38-18-1 (.675) against Boston College and 18-29-4 (.392) against New Hampshire.

The last time Harvard went head-to-head with a Hockey East team was Feb. 7, 2017 against Boston University in the Beanpot consolation game at Northeastern's Matthews Arena. The teams tied 6-6 with goals from Haley Mullins, Chelsea Ziadie and Kate Hallett among others.

Night Owls Often marking the first of back-to-back contests, the Harvard women's hockey team has proven to be more successful in night games than afternoon games. Last season, the Crimson went 4-7-1 in games played at or after 6 p.m. while struggling in afternoon games, going 1-11-4. This season, Harvard is currently 4-0-0 in night games with wins against Dartmouth, Princeton, Brown and Holy Cross. Additionally, 21 of Harvard's 24 goals have come on Friday night matchups.

Scoring Against the Eagles On the current roster, Kat Hughes and Bradley Fusco are the only two who have been able to get past BC netminder Katie Burt. Last year at Frozen Fenway, Kat Hughes potted a power-play goal from Bradley Fusco to stop a BC shutout at Fenway Park.

Why Stop at One? This season, the Crimson has been raking in multi-point games. In seven contests, there has been 15 mutli-point efforts from 10 different players. Kat Hughes and Brooke Jovanovich have both recorded three-assist games and Becca Gilmore tallied the first four-point game against Holy Cross with two goals and two assists.

For reference, last season, Harvard recorded 11 multi-point efforts from five players in the entire season.

Ivy League Network The Ivy League Network returns for a fifth season as the home for all live streaming and on-demand video content for each of the conference's eight institutions. Broadcast in full HD and featuring a live score bug and play-by-play and color commentary, the Ivy League Network provides fans with unprecedented access to the Ancient Eight.

Multiple subscription options are available to fans, including school-specific and league-wide passes. To learn more about the Ivy League Network or to sign-up today, click here, or download the Ivy League Network app!

What's Next? The Crimson will return after the Thanksgiving holiday to take on its second Hockey East foe in four days. The University of New Hampshire Wildcats will make their way to Cambridge for a 4 p.m. puck drop on Saturday, Nov. 25. The game will be broadcast on NESN.